Chapter 63 Zhu Qizhen
Inside the palace, Zhu Zhanji glanced among his cabinet ministers before speaking: "Regarding Jiaozhi, I have made up my mind. You don't need to persuade me anymore."
The ministers were speechless. Only Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Revenue, wanted to argue again. Zhu Zhanji had already spoken, "Ever since Grandfather, you've been waging war against Jiaozhi. Conquering a kingdom is difficult, but defending it is even harder. How many soldiers have died in the past three years? How many civilians who were relocated to Jiaozhi are now buried in a foreign land?"
After he said this, several cabinet ministers remained silent.
In order to ensure that Jiaozhi is always under control, a lot of manpower, material and financial resources have been invested in recent years, and the northern expedition also has to be considered. Although Xia Yuanji has repeatedly stated that the national treasury can still support it, as long as elite soldiers and generals are selected, Jiaozhi will be pacified.
Although the national treasury can support it, it may not be a good thing for people's livelihood. Go out and ask the people, how many of them are willing to fight?
"Before the Wunong Temple was established, I went to Princess Shunde's farmland within the imperial city and worked the fields myself. I felt even more deeply the hardships faced by the common people." Zhu Zhanji said with a serious expression, "I used the new farm tools made by the princess, and I still felt tired after half a day. How much more so for the farmers who work year-round, regardless of the weather."
Officials naturally also have farms, but they don’t need to cultivate them themselves, as the people below will naturally take care of it.
"Now is the time for the country to recuperate. I have established the Wunong Temple and allowed Princess Shunde and craftsmen to improve agricultural tools, all for the sake of a fresh start with the people." Zhu Zhanji solemnly stated, "I do not fight a war, not because I fear it, but because I want the people of the world to live and work in peace and contentment. Only when the country is prosperous and the people are strong can the country truly prosper. Once the country truly prospers, why worry about injustice in the world?"
Having said that, Zhu Zhanji had made up his mind. What else could the ministers say? So everyone could only agree.
Wang Jin saw that the meeting was over, then stepped forward and whispered, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine has given birth to the Emperor's eldest son."
Zhu Zhanji was naturally delighted when he heard the news. He stood up and announced, "My eldest son is born."
Not only was the emperor happy, but the ministers also felt relieved and congratulated Zhu Zhanji one after another.
A new emperor appoints his own ministers. If Zhu Zhanji had no successor, these ministers would be in a difficult position. Now that the eldest prince is born, although he is not the queen's son, at least the Ming Dynasty has an heir in the future. It is better than adopting the child of a vassal king in the future, right?
People are in high spirits when they are happy, not to mention Zhu Zhanji who had been waiting for his son for many years. He strode back to the harem and saw that all the concubines in the palace were surrounding Empress Dowager Zhang, teasing the child in her arms.
Seeing Zhu Zhanji coming, the concubines paid their respects one after another. Zhu Zhanji just waved his hand casually and took the red swaddling clothes from Empress Dowager Zhang's arms.
Looking at the crying baby inside, Zhu Zhanji was overjoyed. He kissed and coaxed the baby, but this made the baby cry even louder.
Seeing this, Zhu Yuhuan took off the jade pendant from his waist, handed it to Zhu Zhanji, and said, "Daddy, use this to comfort your brother."
The tassels on her jade pendant were woven by the palace maids around her. Zhu Yuhuan also asked them to hang pearls and bells on it. It jingled when she wore it on her body, which was very interesting. However, it was inconvenient for Zhu Yuhuan to wear the pendant when practicing martial arts and writing, so she seldom wore it. She brought it with her today especially for her father.
Zhu Zhanji took the jade pendant and waved it in front of the little kid. The child immediately stopped crying and making a fuss. He stared at the jade pendant in Zhu Zhanji's hand and reached out to grab it.
Zhu Zhanji was overjoyed and couldn't help but kiss the red little baby, saying, "This child is really smart."
Zhu Yuhuan thought that when a baby is just born, it can't see anything clearly and can only make judgments based on sounds. Of course, when a child hears the jingling of the jade pendant, his attention will be attracted.
After all, she was a child herself, so she naturally understands the life of little ones very well.
Zhu Youtong said with a smile: "Of course he is smart, my brother has a big head."
Zhu Zhanji was slightly stunned. He reached out to open the swaddling clothes and found that the child's head was indeed bigger than that of an ordinary child①.
Zhu Yuhuan flattered him at the right moment, saying, "People often say that a big, round head is a sign of good fortune. Furthermore, when my younger brother was born, there was a flash of rosy light, which shows that he must be extremely gifted and extraordinary."
Zhu Zhanji thought about it and realized that physiognomy is all about uniqueness and strangeness. A bigger head is not a bad thing. He agreed with a smile and asked, "Why don't you see Jiajia? Her brother is born, she should come to see him too."
Zhu Yuhuan replied, "Jia Jia is concerned about Empress Sun's health and went to visit her in the delivery room first."
Zhu Zhanji sighed: "She loves her mother the most."
Zhu Yuhuan thought it was nonsense, but he still smiled.
Empress Dowager Zhang smiled upon seeing this and said, "This boy and his sister are destined to be together. Aside from his wet nurse, he is closest to Huanhuan. This shows that the boy knows in his heart that his elder sister is a good person."
Zhu Yuhuan said a little embarrassedly: "Grandma, you're joking. My brother is still young, what can he know?"
The concubines had the scent of ointments and powders on their bodies. Newborn babies don’t like pungent smells. Only Zhu Yuhuan had no special scent on his body. This is the so-called "closeness".
Empress Dowager Zhang said with a smile, "Because he is still young, he needs good guidance. He should learn more from his elder sister and not just adopt those petty and unpresentable ways."
Zhu Zhanji understood that this was his mother's reminder to him not to forget the promise he made, so he could only smile awkwardly and said, "Mother is right, I remember everything."
But after all, Concubine Sun had just given birth, so it was not appropriate to take the child directly back to Renshou Palace. The mother had to see her son.
Hu Shanxiang noticed the delicate atmosphere between mother and son, so she interjected, "The eldest prince has been born. According to the order of seniority, he should be called Big Brother. I wonder if Your Majesty and the Imperial Concubine have chosen a nickname yet?"
This was the first time Hu Shanxiang had spoken to him since their quarrel. Zhu Zhanji was a little surprised, but acted as if nothing had happened. He smiled and said, "I don't know if it's a boy or a girl, so I haven't chosen one yet. The Hanlin Academy will submit the name of the prince in a while, and I will definitely give him a good name then."
Upon hearing this, Hu Shanxiang also revealed a gentle smile and said, "Your Majesty is right. It won't be too late to make a decision after we review the Imperial Edict at the Hanlin Academy."
Since it was a happy event, Zhu Yuhuan didn't hold back his smile. He looked even happier than Zhu Zhanji, with the corners of his mouth almost stretched to the back of his head. If Wang Zhen saw him, he would surely be scared to death.
Zhu Qizhen is indeed a good name, but unfortunately, with the changes in the world and the change of the pronunciation, this name has also been given a special meaning...
The maidservant beside Concubine Sun came in, first greeted her, and then said respectfully: "Your Majesty, Queen Mother, the Concubine has woken up and wants to see the eldest prince."
Zhu Zhanji then remembered that the imperial concubine was still in the delivery room in the side hall, but he was afraid that his hard-earned baby son would catch a cold, so he smiled and said, "It's cold today, it won't be too late to wait until the imperial concubine moves to the main hall to rest before seeing him."
"yes."
Seeing Zhu Zhanji holding the child lovingly, Zhu Youtong couldn't help but be absent-minded. Then he went to Zhu Yuhuan, held her hand, and looked at his younger brother who was treated like a treasure.
Zhu Yuhuan noticed the envious look in Zhu Youtong's eyes that she herself had not noticed, so he held her hand tightly and smiled at her.
Zhu Youtong blinked, then leaned against his sister a little embarrassedly, snuggling up to her and unwilling to move.
Although she doesn't have a father, she has a sister who is unique in the world. What is there to envy?
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